Down Syndrome heading for extinction in Denmark

Will DS be a thing of the past in the not too distant future (photo: iStock)

October 20th, 2015 9:44 am| by Christian W

The number of children born with Down Syndrome (DS) in Denmark has fallen drastically in recent years – so much so that the disorder could be a thing of the past in 30 years.

Since 2004 all pregnant women have been offered a DS scan – called a nuchal scan – and the number of abortions involving DS children has increased dramatically. Last year, 98 percent of pregnant women who were revealed to be carrying an unborn child with DS chose to have an abortion.

“When you can discover almost all the foetuses with Down Syndrome, then we are approaching a situation in which almost all of them will be aborted,” Lilian Bondo, the head of the midwife association Jordemoderforeningen, told DR Nyheder.